Zia Fatehabadi

MEHR LAL SONI " Zia Fatehabadi" (b.1913 d. 1986), was born In the family of Sahukars, (private bankers) of Fetehabad (Amritsar, Punjab) at Kapurthala, a former princely state of Northern India, He has spent major portion of his life in the Capital city of Delhi. A banker by profession, Mehr Lal is known in the Urdu literary circles by his pen-name of “ZIA FATEHABADI”.

Zia, which means light, has so far published eight volumes of his Urdu Verses and a collection of his short stories. After retirement he lived New Delhi devoting his time mostly in the pursuit of literary activities until his death in august 1986.

Zia’s career as a poet commenced in 1934 with the publication of a book of his quatrains, appropriately called “TULU”: meaning DAWN. His literary qualities at once placed him among the established writers of the time. The editor of the monthly ADABI DUNIYA (Literary world) of Lahore, instead of reviewing the book, thought it fit to write an article introducing ZIA as a poet of promise.  In 1935 ZIA completed his education from Forman Christian College, Lahore (PAKISTAN) run by American Missionaries. He did his M.A in English literature after taking a degree in B.A. with honours in Persian language from Punjab University. He was the Editor of the Urdu Section of the college magazine.

In 1936, ZIA came to Delhi and took a job in the Reserve Bank of India where he worked till his retirement. His parents along with his younger brothers also shifted to Delhi to live with him. ZIA married in 1938 but death snatched away his wife within two years. He married again in1942 and had by his second wife Rajkumari six male children, excepting one son, all others are highly educated and were well placed in employment until retirement. He spent all his working life with Reserve Bank of India and retired in 1972 as the longest person in their employment. After which he lived New Delhi devoting his time mostly in the pursuit of literary activities. During his life he had travelled throughout India and went to Pakistan as a member of the government of India team in 1960, he also travelled to United Kingdom and France in 1981 to visit his second son Devinder Kumar Soni who is resident of London since 1970.

Educated in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Amritsar, Punjab and Lahore, Pakistan ZIA has spent his professional career in Delhi, Madras (Tamil Nadu) and Mumbai (Maharashtra). Besides, he has travelled widely all over India. In recognition of his literary activities spread over fifty years and more, functions were held in Delhi, Madras, Lucknow, Kolar, Nagpur and Mumbai. Functions were also held in his honour in London, Bradford, Southall, Kingston-upon-Thames and Slough in United Kingdom during his visit in 1981/82. He passed away in August 1986 after a prolonged illness.

The second book of ZIA’s poems, NOOR E MASHRIQ (Light of the East) came out in 1937. It contained, among purely Urdu poems for the first time, Hindi songs and English type sonnets, which ushered in a new trend in Urdu Poetry.

ZIA’s third book, however, surprisingly took a long time, fifteen years, in coming out. NAI SUBH (The New Morn) as it was called, contained poems containing modern and progressive ideas, such ideas in the Urdu poetry were inspired by the materialistic movement which took the entire Western literary world in its fold. This delay in publication was mainly due to ZIA’s professional contractual obligations, the fulfilment, of which of course provided him with official promotions. The publication of the fourth book called GARD-E-RAH (Road Dust) was also delayed for the reasons stated above, This book appeared in 1963. After his retirement in 1971, two volumes of hit lyrical verses titled DHOOP AUR CHANDNI (Sun-shine and Moon-light) and RANG-O-NOOR (Colour and Light) appeared in print and won awards and widespread praise. Some of the short stories written by him have also appeared in a book titled SURAJ DOOB GAYA (The Sun Has Set).

Like the English Romantics, ZIA’s Verses convey the universal message of love and hope for man-kind. Influenced by India’s contemporary philosophers and poets like GANDHI and TAGORE, he believes in man’s brotherhood, freedom and spiritualism. As a true and faithful disciple of Moulana Ashiq Husain Seemab Akbarabadi, an eminent poet and journalist, Zia’s style and diction are lucid and spontaneous and are moulded mostly by the underlying ideas and sentiments. He has experimented in various genres but is better known for his ghazals, Urdu counterpart of English lyrics.

An issue of quarterly TAHREER, edited by veteran research scholar, Malik Ram, was wholly devoted to ZIA’s life and place in Urdu literature.

Some of ZIA’s Urdu verses together with free English translation are given hereunder: -

HAZARON PECH-O-KHAM HAR GAM PAR THE RAH-E-HASTI MEIN MOHABAT KO NA MAIN REHBAR BANA LETA TO KIA HOTA At every step the life’s pathway had turns and roundabouts. What would have happened had love not guided me?

US KO BAHAR LA KE RUSWA KAR DIA BAZAR MEIN JO MUJHE ANDAR SE DETA THA SADA, MEIN HE TO THA It was I who was calling me from within myself: alas,

I brought out and thrw him in the street to rot,

BIGRI HUI HAI MERI HI KISMAT SOYA HUA HAI MERA HI RAB KIA? I alone am not favoured with good luck, Why does only my God still sleep.

USR UGBA SE HAI UMMID-E-SKOON JISE DUNIYA MEIN NA ARAM AIYA Not finding any comfort in this world he placed His hopes on the next.

SURAT SURAT MEIN BHED SAHI, DIL DIL MEIN TO KOI FARQ NAHIN DEKE JO WOH APNI HI SAMJHE AISI BHI KOI TASWIR BANA One face may be distinct from another, but not a heart. Paint,therefore, a picture which whosoever looks at any claim to be his own

KHATM HOTE HI SHAB-E-GHAM HUI TU BHI KHAMOSH SATH JAINA TERA AI SHAM-E-SEHAR DEKH LIYA O. lamp of the morn: you to went out as the painful night reached its end. Is this how you keep your words to burn as long as I do?

AAP AUR MUJH PE TARAS KHAIN, YEH KIA BAT HUI SACH KAHA, MEIN NE KOI KHWAB HI DEKHA HO GA Who will believe that of all the persons you should have pity on me. Truly I must have been dreaming.

WOHI HOTE HAIN DAES KHAZAN KI AMAD KA JO GUL BHAR SE PEHLE KHILAE JATE HAIN. The buds that burst out into flowers before the advent of Spring are indeed responsible for ushering in Autum.

DEKHA THA MUJH KO TUFANON KA ZOR AAGYA YEH DAMEN-E-SAHIL KAHAN I was to face the fury of the storm in the mid-stream. How is it that the bank’s recluse has come between.

RAVISH-E-MAIKADA BADAL DETA KOI AISA NA HOSHIAR AIYA What delays the advent of the Enlightened One who is to alter the norms and practices of the wine-cellar?

KAFIR BANA DIYA MUSALMAN BANA DIYA FITRAT KA SHUKAR KAR TUJHE INSAN BANA DIYA Believer of non-believer, Praise be to Him who has created you in the shape of man.

MOUT GHAM SE NIJAT KIYA DEGI IS SAZA KI NAHIN KOI MIYAD. How can death release man from the bonds of sorrow: this punishment is certainly not time bound.

MEHFAL MEIN AUR KOI NAHIN APNA RAZDAN HUM-SOZ EK DIYA HAI SO WHO BHI BUJHA HUA The burning lamp was my only companion in the Assembly: alas, even it has gone out.

BAHUT ACHHA KIYA AI BARQ USE BARBAD KAR DALA CHAMN WALON KI AANKHON MEIN KHATAKTA ASHIAN KAB TAK The lightening has rightly reduced the nest to ashes, for, otherwise, how long it would have remained a sore in the eyes of the garden.

CHAHA KISE USI NE NAZAR SE GIRA DIYA DUNIYA NE KHOOB MERI WAFA KA SILA DIYA I fell in the estimation of whomsoever I loved; the world has fittingly rewarded my sincerity.

YEH WOHI DHARTI HAI JO HAM KO BARBAD YEH WOHHI DHARTI HAI HAM NE JISE ABAD KIYA The earth on which we live, destroys us.

YEH MAQAM-E-ISHQ HAI BALAI FAHM TUJH KO PA KAR AAP KHO JATA HUN MAIN Beyond comprehension is this state of love, Where I have lost myself to discover thee.

CHAHIYA MUJH KO EK DIL, AUR WOH AISE ZARF KA DARD KI SARI KAINAT JIS MEIN SIMAT KE AASKE Yes, my yearing is for the heart whose beats represent the pangs of the entire Universe.

BHATAKTA HAI ABHI TAK KARWAN, MANZIL NAHIN MILTI YEH TADBIR-E-AMIR-E-KARWAN MALUM HOTI HAI The carwan has yet to reach its destination and this shows the apathy and wily mechanism of the so called leaders.

CHAND BHI KEH KE THAK GAYA, SHAMA BHI KEH KE BUJH GAI HUSN-E-AZAL KI DASTAN KISA-E-NATAMAM HAI The moon has turned pale and also the lamp has gone out but the tale of the eternal beauty still remains un-told.

YAKIN KE PAON MEIN LAGHZISH NA AAIE BADAL JATI HAIN TAQDEEREN YAKIN SE Allow not the Faith;s feet to falter for who else can re-mould the destiny.

UJALON KO DHUNDO, SEHAR KO PUKARO ANDHERON MEIN RONE SE KIA FAIDA HAI Why shed tears over darkness. Rather, make frantic efforts to find light and invoke the dawn.

ABAR HO SAIA FIGAN YA HO JHULASTI HUI DHOOP ZINDAGI APNI BAHAR HAL BASAR HOTI HAI Be there shadowing clouds or burning sunshine, life moves on undeterred and un-daunted.

ZINDGI KE HAZAR WAR SAHE MAUT KA EK WAR SEH NA SAKE I braved a thousand assaults of life, but could not survive the lone attack of death.

LIST OF BOOKS OF ZIA FATEHABADI

Name of Book Contents Year of Publication POETRY 1 TULU Quatrains 1934 2 NOOR-e- MASHRIQ Poems, Geets & Sonnets 1937 3 ZIA KE SAU SHER Selected Verses from Ghazals 1938 4 NAI SUBH Poems, Geets, Sonnets, Ghazals & Quatrains 1952 5 GARD-e- RAH Poems, Geets, Sonnets, Ghazals & Quatrains 1963 6 HUSAN-e-GHAZAL Ghazals 1964 7 RANG-o-NOOR Ghazals 1980 8 DOOP AUR CHANDANI (enlarged edition) Ghazals 1980 9 SOACH KAS SAFAR Poems 1981

PROSE 1 SHER AUR SHAIR Biographical Sketches of Poets 1975 2 SURAJ DOOB GAYA Short Stories 1980 3 ZAIRA-hai-NIGAH Impressions and critical essays 1983 4 ZIKAR-E-SEEMAB Biographical sketch of A.M.SEEMAB AKBARABADI 1984 5 MASUAD-E-SADART SE Address delivered at Mushiars etc. 1985